Spain v. Honduras Match Reaction
Match reaction under the cut..
Warning: Everything I said below is just my personal reaction as a very concerned and loyal fan of Spanish National Team. You don't have to agree with everything I said, and I don't claim to be better than Del Bosque in any way.
I'm very glad that Spain won the match, but I'm not completely happy with their performance, and here's why:
1)I was a little bit surprised with the starting lineup, where was Silva? Iniesta? Maybe they were injured, or maybe the coach lost faith after Silva's last performance.. whatever.. I was surprised, but not doubtful yet.
2) The lack of Silva/Iniesta seems to disrupt Spain's usual flow of the game. The passes seemed shaky, and Xavi seemed out of place. I think Xavi's best position is deeper in the field, not up.
3) Navas proved almost useless.. Yes he's fast, but how many good cross did he actually get through today? The only thing he can do is run head on. He has no chemistry with the rest of the midfield. Most of his crosses hit the wall. I would've taken him down at half time, and put in Silva/Iniesta. Without Silva or Iniesta, the attacking option was limited because there's no one to weave through the defense.
4) Fernando Torres clearly isn't match fit... no that's not it, he just can't score for Spain. He's also a bit slower now in my opinion too. And I think each miss takes away his confidence just a little bit. On several occasions I noticed that other players stopped passing the ball to him.
5) I wanted Fabregas to come on.. but not to replace Xavi. You just don't replace Xavi unless he's injured. I wanted him to replace Navas.. I wanted Navas be changed.
6) Mata was a mistake in my opinion as well. Pedro would've been a better choice. Mata lacks speed and the subtle touches that Pedro has.
7) The match pretty much died after Fabregas came on. Fabregas can never replace Xavi. He may have more attacking inclination, but he didn' really show any. He was slow, and didn't seem to care much. The team in general seems to be tired.
8) I now really really fear that Del Bosque isn't good enough to lead this team.
Ok... I'm done criticizing, some players deserve some serious praising:
1) David Villa.. his luck just ran out after his second goal, but despite that he was great the whole match. He made a lot of great runs, and filled in the spaces well. (unless Torres, who never knew where to stand)
2) Xabi Alonso.. great in the midfield and defended well all game.
3) Sergio Ramos... he was a better attacker than Torres.
Chile won today, which means they would want to play a draw in the 3rd match to ensure qualifying and first place spot. I'm not familiar with Chile, but let's hope defensive game isn't their cup of tea.
Vamos!!
Warning: Everything I said below is just my personal reaction as a very concerned and loyal fan of Spanish National Team. You don't have to agree with everything I said, and I don't claim to be better than Del Bosque in any way.
I'm very glad that Spain won the match, but I'm not completely happy with their performance, and here's why:
1)I was a little bit surprised with the starting lineup, where was Silva? Iniesta? Maybe they were injured, or maybe the coach lost faith after Silva's last performance.. whatever.. I was surprised, but not doubtful yet.
2) The lack of Silva/Iniesta seems to disrupt Spain's usual flow of the game. The passes seemed shaky, and Xavi seemed out of place. I think Xavi's best position is deeper in the field, not up.
3) Navas proved almost useless.. Yes he's fast, but how many good cross did he actually get through today? The only thing he can do is run head on. He has no chemistry with the rest of the midfield. Most of his crosses hit the wall. I would've taken him down at half time, and put in Silva/Iniesta. Without Silva or Iniesta, the attacking option was limited because there's no one to weave through the defense.
4) Fernando Torres clearly isn't match fit... no that's not it, he just can't score for Spain. He's also a bit slower now in my opinion too. And I think each miss takes away his confidence just a little bit. On several occasions I noticed that other players stopped passing the ball to him.
5) I wanted Fabregas to come on.. but not to replace Xavi. You just don't replace Xavi unless he's injured. I wanted him to replace Navas.. I wanted Navas be changed.
6) Mata was a mistake in my opinion as well. Pedro would've been a better choice. Mata lacks speed and the subtle touches that Pedro has.
7) The match pretty much died after Fabregas came on. Fabregas can never replace Xavi. He may have more attacking inclination, but he didn' really show any. He was slow, and didn't seem to care much. The team in general seems to be tired.
8) I now really really fear that Del Bosque isn't good enough to lead this team.
Ok... I'm done criticizing, some players deserve some serious praising:
1) David Villa.. his luck just ran out after his second goal, but despite that he was great the whole match. He made a lot of great runs, and filled in the spaces well. (unless Torres, who never knew where to stand)
2) Xabi Alonso.. great in the midfield and defended well all game.
3) Sergio Ramos... he was a better attacker than Torres.
Chile won today, which means they would want to play a draw in the 3rd match to ensure qualifying and first place spot. I'm not familiar with Chile, but let's hope defensive game isn't their cup of tea.
Vamos!!